which he stands, our hearts are warmed the more by the feeling of his goodness.

It is impossible to think of God at all, without conceiving Him as the Benefactor of mankind. Mysterious as this world is in many of its appearances, it nevertheless carries, on the whole, a strongly marked character of goodness and benignity in its Author. We behold a vast system obviously contrived to provide, not food and nourishment, only, but comfort also and enjoyment to an infinite number of inhabitants. The more that philosophy has enlarged our views of nature, the more it has been discovered that, throughout the wide extent of creation, there is no useless profusion of magnificence, but that every thing has been rendered subservient to the welfare of the rational or sensible world; nay, that many objects, which were once considered as not only superfluous but noxious, hold an useful place in the general system. Such provision has been made for our entertainment on this earth, such care has been taken to store the world with a variety of pleasures, to cheer our senses, and enliven our imagination, that he whose eye opens on all the beauty of nature, must be of insensible heart indeed, if he feels no gratitude to that Being who has brought him forth to enjoy this wonderful scene.

But the gratitude of a good man will naturally go farther than this. He will think not only of the benefits which he enjoys in common with the rest of his fellow-creatures, but of those which are appropriated particularly to himself. Who is there amongst us, my brethren, but in fairly reviewing the events of his life from infancy to this day, in thinking of the comforts he enjoys, and recollecting the dangers from which he has been delivered; who is

there, I say, that has not cause to acknowledge an invisible Guardian, who has all along watched over his frail estate, has protected and blessed him? — Perhaps of the blessings which you enjoy, or the deliverances you have received, you are more disposed to trace some human cause; one favourable distinction you ascribe to your birth, your parents, or your education; for some other happy circumstance you think yourself solely indebted to the kindness of an earthly friend, or you refer it to the exertions of your own dexterity and talents. Thoughtless and inconsiderate man! Have you forgotten that there is a First Cause of all, a Supreme Lord, who, from the beginning, has arranged and prepared the whole series of causes and effects, of whose destination and agency men are no more than the secondary instruments? To what but to the original plan of his goodness, do you owe the favourable circumstances of your birth or your education, the kindness which He ordained to spring up in the breast of your friend, or the talents and abilities which He implanted within you, in order to favour your success?

But an exhortation to gratitude, you perhaps consider as coming unseasonably in your present situation. The time was, when the light of the Divine countenance shone upon you, and, looking up to a Benefactor in heaven, with a grateful heart you acknowledged your blessings to be derived from Him; but that time is now past; you are left desolate and forsaken, bereaved of the chief comforts on which you had set your hearts. And, because many of the favours of Heaven are past, ought they to be gone from your remembrance? Are there not still some others remaining, for which you have rea

son to give thanks? Have you forgotten all the blessings you have continued to enjoy ever since the day that you came forth a helpless infant into the world? Be assured that a gratitude of that sort, which dies away as soon as it ceases to be fed by the usual stream of benefits, which has regard to present favours only, and none to those that are past, is not true gratitude, but the symptom of a selfish and mercenary spirit. If you be disposed to thank God only when he is giving you all the desires of your hearts, what praise have ye? Do not publicans and sinners the same? Men who have little either of religion or sensibility of heart. But when Providence shrouds itself in a dark cloud, and some of your favourite enjoyments are carried away, if still with calm and patient mind, you continue to bless the name of the Lord, and still retain a thankful sense of the blessings you have so long, and so far beyond your deserts, been permitted to enjoy; this is to be truly grateful; this is to show yourselves the dutiful children of a Father in Heaven.

we,

In reviewing the grounds which we have for gratitude to God, it becomes us to attend, not only to those blessings which appertain individually to each of us, but to those also which we enjoy in common with others of our brethren. How much reason have for instance, to bless God for having cast our lot in a land where we enjoy all the advantages of mild and equal government, and all the comforts of tranquillity and peace, while many a nation around us is oppressed by the hand of tyrannical power, disturbed with the alarms and terrours of war, or suffering from the ravages of the hostile spoiler ? What higher reason still to be grateful for having

our lot cast where the joyful sound of the Gospel is heard, where the glad tidings of peace upon earth, and good-will to the sons of men, are announced to us by the Son of God, who came to bring pardon and salvation to a guilty world? What everlasting ground of thankfulness is afforded by the blessed hope that is given us of life immortal; of a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; when the earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved; of an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, ascertained to all good men by the death and the resurrection of our blessed Redeemer! Bless the Lord, 0 my soul! and all that is within me, bless his holy name, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies.* Let us now add,

III. ENTIRE and profound submission, as a disposition most necessary to be preserved on our part towards God. This includes submission of the understanding to the discoveries which God has been pleased to make; submission of the inclinations to the laws which He has promulgated for our conduct; submission of the will to the dispensations of his Providence, as they affect the events of our life. It is not submission constrained merely by a power against which we know that it is in vain to struggle; it is submission arising from reverence compounded with gratitude; submission to One whose supreme perfection entitles Him to absolute obedience, whose experienced goodness affords ground for implicit

trust.

* Psalm ciii. 1, 2, 3.

In the present imperfect state of human nature, there will be often found no small reluctance to that entire resignation to God which religion requires. The pride of human understanding will sometimes revolt against the discoveries which God has made in his word, as deficient and unsatisfactory; the struggles of passion will frequently rise against the restraints imposed on us by his laws, and the severities inflicted by his Providence. But in the heart of a pious man all such opposition is checked and borne down, by a steady faith that, under the administration of the Almighty, all is ordered for the best, though for several steps of that high administration we are unable at present to account. Hence that calm tranquillity He preserves, and that resolute and magnanimous submission He maintains, amidst the most unpromising circumstances. He knows that in this stupendous universe, there must be many things that lie beyond our comprehension. As yet thou seest no more than the rise of the Divine government, the beginnings of a great plan, which is not to be completed until the course of ages shall end. Meanwhile darkness must be allowed, for wise reasons, to remain upon many things; severe restraints must be imposed on conduct, and occasional sufferings must be endured. If thou sufferest, sigh and be silent; wait, and be patient. Presume not to exalt thy weak reason against the revelations of Heaven, nor to give vent to thy impatient complaints against the ordinations of thy Supreme Governor. Think with awe, and speak with caution, of what is so much above thee. Wait till thy being shall be unfolded; till it shall have passed through the necessary steps that shall gradually prepare thee for beholding the